Microsoft is extending the Startup Founders Hub, its self-service platform that provides founders with free resources including Azure credits, with a new incubator program called the Pegasus Program.<\/p>\n

Pegasus will select startups with products that \u201cfill a market need\u201d and give them up to $350,000 in Azure, GitHub and LinkedIn credits plus backing from advisors, as well as \u201caccess to the best Microsoft tech,\u201d according to Hans Yang, general manager at Microsoft<\/span>\u00a0for Startups.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the current economic climate, today\u2019s launch of Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program couldn\u2019t be timelier,\u201d Yang, speaking to TechCrunch via email, said. \u201cIn a capital-constrained environment, startups need to demonstrate traction and revenue growth. Startups selling to enterprise companies are challenged with long sales cycles, complex regulatory requirements, and high demands for scalability and reliability. At the same time, enterprise companies know that disruption is coming, but want to work with startups who can meet their rigorous requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pegasus is a two-year program, open to startups already active in Microsoft\u2019s Founders Hub and with customer-facing products built on the Microsoft Cloud. A core requirement is having early product-market fit, Yang stressed, including revenue traction, a sales team in place and a \u201cproven\u201d go-to-market model.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis signals to us that they are ready to go up market to enterprise customers,\u201d Yang added. \u201cOur industry-focused experts, when evaluating potential Pegasus startups, also ensure their solutions are resolving current industry challenges for these sectors. This ensures we provide enterprises with relevant solutions that they can invest in to get a short-term return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

All startups chosen for Pegasus are assigned a vertical lead to generate sales opportunities and act as an advisor. They also get a success manager, who\u2019s responsible for helping them go to market and \u201censure they have the best resources for generating and developing deals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, Pegasus companies receive a dedicated cloud solution architect to support their technical success and facilitate \u201cpreferred\u201d access to Azure\u2019s AI offerings. These architects serve as a single point of contact within Pegasus, helping startups engage with Microsoft customers and handling compliance and security checks.<\/p>\n

Yang noted that, while Pegasus inherently favors startups built with Azure tech, the program doesn\u2019t lock companies or partners into a particular cloud. They\u2019re able to use multiple clouds, including stalwarts such as Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services, if they so choose, as long as they\u2019re meeting their customers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program is really driven by the needs of enterprise customers, and while many of our customers enjoy the synergies of leveraging multiple Microsoft<\/span> solutions together, we are focused on their needs,\u201d Yang said.<\/p>\n